Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry with Hoisin Sauce

This easy chicken and broccoli stir-fry is tossed with a homemade hoisin stir fry sauce. Perfect for busy weeknights!

I was first seduced by hoisin sauce as a food-loving teenager. My parents and I went to dinner at The Mongolie Grill in Vancouver, where we loaded up our bowls with seafood, meat, chicken, vegetables, and noodles; poured on whichever sauces appealed to us; and handed our bowls over to one of the chefs who deftly stir-fried the contents on an enormous wok.

Before cooking our meals, the chefs weighed the bowls to determine the price of the meal. If anyone was lucky enough to guess the weight of their meal within one-tenth of an ounce, it was free. When I took my husband there many years later, he piled his bowl as high as he could (have I mentioned he has the metabolism of a gazelle), and proceeded to guess the exact weight. I knew then that he was a keeper. If only these predictive powers applied to lottery tickets.

Back at the table, we loaded up rice paper wraps with our goodies and slathered on hoisin sauce. With a perfect balance of sweet and salty, and a tiny kick of heat, this Chinese sauce had me hooked.

While I enjoy stir-fries with a simple soya sauce-based sauce, such as my Four-Spice Pork with Spinach, I can't resist throwing in a little hoisin sauce whenever a bottle is in my fridge. This recipe was made from ingredients that were available in my home. Chicken breasts, broccoli, ginger, garlic, and some simple sauce ingredients. That's what I call an easy, low-stress dinner.

In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup orange juice, ¼ cup hoisin sauce,

1 tablespoon soya sauce, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. No, sesame oil doesn't look like that, but mine had just come out of the fridge.

Whisk the mixture together.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil, then 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch strips. Season with freshly ground pepper.

When the chicken is just cooked through (don't overcook!), about 2 to 3 minutes, remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Add 1 additional tablespoon of canola oil to the skillet, then 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 4 cups of broccoli florets. Cook until the broccoli is tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.

Add the chicken and the sauce to the pan and stir well until the sauce is heated through, about 30 seconds.

Place on a serving plate and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds.

Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry with Hoisin Sauce

¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon canola oil, divided
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch strips
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, hoisin sauce, soya sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and the chicken strips. Season with freshly ground pepper. Stir the chicken as it cooks. When the chicken is barely cooked through (don't overcook!), about 2 to 3 minutes, remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
Add 1 additional tablespoon of canola oil to the skillet, then chopped ginger, minced garlic cloves, and broccoli florets. Cook until the broccoli is tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
Add the chicken and the sauce to the pan and stir well until the sauce is heated through, about 30 seconds. Place the mixture on a serving plate and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Serves 4.

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